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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 27 June 2018

Dutch parliament approves limited ban on burqa, niqab

By RAF CASERT which cover the face and
ALEKSANDAR FURTULA body — even though stud-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands ies suggest that only a few
(AP) — The Netherlands has hundred women in the
approved a limited ban on Netherlands wear the gar-
"face-covering clothing" in ments. The ban also covers
public places, including Is- ski masks and full-face hel-
lamic veils and robes such mets.
as the burqa and niqab but The government said peo-
not the hijab, which cov- ple still have full freedom
ers only the hair. Firebrand on how to dress, except
far-right politician Geert when it is necessary to have
Wilders had pushed for the full facial contact — for in-
ban for over a decade. stance in education and
Parliament's upper cham- health-related situations.
ber made the final approv- The ban does not apply to
al in a vote Tuesday. public streets, although po-
Wilders' Freedom Party lice can ask an individual
claimed the development to remove face-covering
as a major victory, while clothing for identification.
Senator Marjolein Faber- "This is actually virtually a
Van de Klashorst called it complete ban because
"a historical day because In this Saturday, March 4, 2017 file photo, people walk along street stalls at a fruit market in The the only spaces that are still
this is the first step to de-Is- Hague, The Netherlands. available for women (who
lamize the Netherlands." Associated Press wear face-covering cloth-
"This is the first step and the ing) are the street and the
next step is to close all the by the government as "reli- gium. It applies on public Successive Dutch govern- private sector," said An-
mosques in the Nether- gion-neutral," and does not transport and in education ments have sought to ban nelies Moors, professor of
lands," she said, building on go as far as more extensive institutions, health institu- niqabs, which cover most Anthropology and Sociol-
Wilders' anti-Islam rhetoric. bans in neighboring coun- tions such as hospitals, and of the face but still shows ogy at the University of Am-
The Dutch law is described tries like France and Bel- government buildings. the eyes, and burqas, sterdam. q